At first, this blogger thought it was just the usual religious bickering between those who believe in the so-called ‘Prosperity Movement’ and those who don’t. But it turns out to be more than just that: It is another argument between the “pre-Trib” and “post-Trib” groups. In other words, for centuries two opposing bodies of Christian ‘leaders’ have argued over when God would ‘rapture’ (i.e. take to heaven) true Christians out of the earth: Before the horrors of end-time tribulation spoken of throughout His Holy Word. Or whether He would leave true Christians on earth to suffer (i.e. along with sinners) through these (coming or could-be ‘present’) wretched times—perhaps the time of Anti-Christ Tribulation time itself!

Those believing that Christians will be taken to heaven in ‘The Rapture’, before the ‘real’ Tribulation begins, could be so sure that God will save them from such horrors that they ignore or ‘down play’ the immediate need to increasingly walk in repentance and love as Apostle John advises: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us (1 John 4: 10 – 12).”

Conversely, those who strongly advocate that today’s Christians now live during the Tribulation (i.e. the ‘post-Trib’ group) could like-wise be so filled with pride that they could likewise ignore the commandments of Apostle John and of The LORD Jesus that believers must—above all things Love God and Love one Another: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13: 34-35).”

The ‘pre-Trib” group relies on Revelation chapters 4 and 5 to insist that after The LORD Jesus judges seven churches in chapters 2 and 3, those next two chapters ‘indicate’ that all Christians will be in heaven after their final accounting at ‘The Judgment Seat of Christ’. However, while not mentioning Gentile Christians, these two chapters introduce The LORD Jesus Christ as the Only Being in Heaven or earth eligible to open The Book about end-time judgments—The Book of Revelations– which God The Father holds in His hands, as He awaits for The Book to be opened and its truths released.

After The LORD Jesus opens that Book—and throughout The Book of Revelations He explains ALL the judgments that will take place on earth—before He returns here. First, in truth, apparently God has not presented sufficient evidence in His Word to support either side of the ‘Trib’ argument. In fact, His total Word could indicate that both sides of the argument are wrong.

Second: However, it is the authentically True Body of Christians who are holding off the ultimate destruction of all the earth’s 8 to 10 billion people: “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom The Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time (2 Thessalonians 2: 6 – 8).”

The ‘he’ here is that Body of Christians who exercise their authority over the workings of Satan, who stay on their knees against treats of terrorists, killers and yes even storms and fires. Christianity is not a ‘playing marbles game’ where one side seeks to gain advantage over the other. If the ‘pre-trib’ group argues that these verses indicate that the rapture will come before end-time disasters begin, then how can they explain killer earthquakes, historical raging ‘endless’ fires and murderous killings now happening in their lifetimes? If the ‘post-trib’ group believes that their side is correct, then how can they explain their lack of fasting, praying, and loving the lost and even including Christians of all races, colors and denominations in their services—including Christian leaders of the same?

Third, God’s wholesale Christian Bible never tells Christians that they will not live through certain horrors—i.e. lions’ dens; fired-up furnaces; concentration camps; wars and rumors of wars between and against evil-ruled nations; world wars; illegal hangings; crucifixes; gang murders; kidnappings; incarcerations for the Name of Christ; political, racial or ethnic persecutions; Middle-East beheadings of Christians; or other extreme persecutions, etc.—all of which happen today, or have happened in the last hundred years–so why should true Christians living in these last days be so excluded?

Fourth, most of The Old Testament, some of The New Testament (i.e. Romans and Hebrews)—including The Book of Revelation–is addressed to and written about Jews, not Gentile Christians. The ultimate aim of the enemy, Anti-Christ, is about destroying Jews, Israel and Jerusalem in these last days, and The Book of Revelation discusses those Middle Eastern nations which had ruled over Israel in past centuries. Other than what it will do to protect Israel, the United States or Gentile Christians within it, is not the subject of this Great and Last Book of The Bible. Thus, true Christians should stop ‘dancing on the end of a pen’s head’ arguing over each other’s rights and wrongs. If there is one thing the Book of Revelation makes clear, it is that ‘Now is The Time for Christian Prayer and Love,’ and not theological nit-picking or so-called argument over God’s Word. Rather, now is the time to fully obey It!